What A Lovely Way To Burn
by SarcasticRomantic1995
Summary: Once a threat to the city of Frank, Special Detective Thrax gets a second chance at life by playing the good guy. However, his new-found career intensifies when he meets a red blood cell that lights up his world. Thrax X OC
1. Chapter 1: Catching Fever

"_It burns… Please!"_

"_Should have thought about it before."_

"_I beg for mercy! Please, not in front of my daughter!"_

"_Mercy? What am I, a priest?"_

"_PLEASE!"_

"_Sorry, I don't negotiate with blood cells- ."_

Thrax shot his eyes wide open as he hurled himself out of bed, gasping for breath. He looked around the dark bedroom while his heart began to pound beneath his exoskeleton. He breathed a sigh of relief. It had just been the work of yet another flashback, just like last night. And the one before that.

As he sat up and wiped the sweat from his brow, the virus looked out his apartment window. He had found comfort in it lately, since the nightmares had grown in numbers in the passing weeks. He breathed in the chilly peppermint air of Frank. _Thank ectoplasm he's brushing his teeth for once_. Thrax thought, fiddling his long red fingers with his left index claw. It glowed brightly, then faded like the fire inside him.

Suddenly, a large crash erupted from the alleyway. Thrax jumped to his feet and leaned out the window, still in just his evening boxers. Then a scream reached his ears. His first reaction was grabbing a pair of pants and running downstairs with his nerve gun. _What ever happened to a little peace and quiet? _He asked himself. Still, he didn't waste any time to stop.

He turned the corner into the alley, where he could hear the sound of punches swinging through the night. Then a gaggle of laughter sounded from a group of germs at the end of the alleyway. "Well, you fight strong for a blood cell, don't you?" a voice boomed, still fighting off his laughter. Another chimed in, "Yeah, especially when you're so skinny! Hehe…"

A low growl sounded from behind the wall of germs, in the form of a female voice. "How dare you! Get out of my way or I swear I'll - Ahh!" A trash can toppled over, and the sound of a back being pounded against a wall came to Thrax's ears. He clenched his fists as he heard the young woman groan in agony. He peered down at his claw, which was glowing bright red. His blood was boiling.

"Now, look, sweetheart, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and it looks to me you'd like it done hard…" the germ that pinned her to the wall said, licking his lips and leaning in to kiss her. She punched him in the gut. "I don't think so, freak." she said defiantly. That's when the germs began to attack her. About a dozen of them, all pulling her down to the ground, entwining themselves with her body. Thrax had seen enough.

One by one he stabbed, slashed, and skewered the germs until they all lied on the ground, oozing and moaning. He looked down and saw her body, laying twisted on her side with her long tresses of her thick, clotted hair layered across her face. He narrowed his eyes and looked closer. She was breathing, but barely. As he slid his fingers underneath her, she cooed a little, tender to the touch. As her hair feel, it revealed the most beautiful face he had ever seen. She was indeed a red blood cell. Her body frame was slender and thin, but curved like that of a woman. Her lips were soft, and seemed to whisper to Thrax. _Kiss us... _Thrax gulped, trying to resist his urges.

For a moment, he just stared down at her, the unconscious beauty whose name he did not know. He smiled for the first time in the longest while, then proceeded to carry her back upstairs. As he walked, he thought to himself. _At least some good came out of tonight. However, my bed is too unkempt for this overnight guest. I'll make her a place to sleep on the couch…_ _Hey, I may actually use the kitchen for once… _And that was when it hit him that he had fallen in love with her.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**What A Lovely Way To Burn… {Thrax X OC}**_


	2. Chapter 2: Hello, Hottie

After hours of clearing away take-out boxes and quietly cleaning around his guest, Thrax was exhausted, but strangely relaxed. He took the early morning light to admire his work, which got him shaking his head at himself. He sighed, "Ah look at me, cleaning up for somebody I just met!" But it wasn't just anyone. He knew that. She looked down at the red blood cell, then at himself. Taking a quick whiff, he quickly grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.

Once he had gotten out of the shower and dressed - in his grey turtleneck sweater, black pants, and black shoes - Thrax walked back into the living room. He looked down at the sofa where he had last seen the blood cell he had saved that previous night, only to find it empty with the covers drawn back. Suspicious, he looked over his shoulder. There she was, with a mix of fiery rage and curiosity glittering in her eyes. She had the advantage over him; she held up Thrax's nerve gun, which she had stolen from his belt.

"Did you honestly think you could save me for later, punk? Or did you just want to display me on your shelf?" she hissed. Thrax was speechless. "Actually, baby-" "Don't call me _baby!" she demanded. Thrax tried to explain, keeping his arms where she could see them and he turned to face her. "I was the one who stopped those cats that attacked you last night." She hesitated lowering the gun. _

"_Prove it, then." the blood cell ordered firmly. Thrax was helpless but to obey. He pulled out his badge from his pocket. "See, I'm a cop." he told her, showing it to her. A moment after setting it, she lowered the gun and read the badge inscription aloud. "City of Frank Detective Thrax?" she said questioningly. Thrax nodded, smiling a bit. She smiled back._

"_Uh, sorry about that, Detective." she said, blushing a little. He shook his head. "Honestly, it's fine. I didn't mean to scare you, baby. I just couldn't leave you out there on your own like that." She turned away from him, a bit sadly. "Yeah," she sighed, "Well, thank you very much, but I really can't stay." She was about to walk out the door, but Thrax beat her to it. He raised and eyebrow at her. "As an officer of Frank, I can't let you leave without asking you a few questions." At first, she looked horrified, but then her expression settled into a soft smile. _

"_Well, I suppose I should, after all I put you through." she replied. Thrax led her to the sofa, then headed into the kitchen to bring her a cup of coffee. When he came back, she gladly accepted, taking eager sips from her mug. Thrax was strangely fascinated. "I take you haven't had coffee in a while, then." He chuckled. His guest blushed. "N-no… I've been living on the street for a while now." He looked at her in disbelief. "Don't you have anywhere to go?" _

_She shook her head no. "My mom was killed by a virus thug in another body when I was young, so my dad and I moved here through a blood transplant. He died four months ago, so I've been on my own. My rent expired, so for the last few weeks I've been able to make a place for me to sleep in an abandoned glucose factory. Still, it's a far cry from a comfortable home."_

_Thrax smirked, an idea forming in his head. "You can stay here with me, you know." The beautiful cell's eyes filled with shock. "Excuse me?" she asked. Thrax's smile grew. "I have an extra room for guests. It's a mess now, but I could clean it out. That is, if you would like." She laughed, "You don't even know my name!" Thrax rolled his eyes. "Alright," he sighed, "Fair enough. What is it?" She smiled, with such bright joy that even Thrax was helpless but to hang on her every word. "My name," she said, "Is Malaria."_

"_Beautiful." Thrax replied smoothly._


	3. Chapter 3: A Heated Conversation

In the hours that they talked, Thrax had grown more and more interested in Malaria. He would not rest until he knew everything about her. She had a smile that made his temperature rise, and her eyes captivated him… He lost focus a couple of times just staring into them.

"So," she inquired, "Detective Thrax, eh? How'd you get into that business?" Thrax sipped his coffee and cleared his throat before speaking. "Well," he said a bit grimly, "I wasn't always a good guy. Actually, I'm surprised that you didn't hear about it." Malaria blinked, not quite sure what he was talking about. Thrax sighed at her response. He sat quietly for a moment, trying to word out what he was trying to say before he said it. He spoke quietly, "I nearly killed Frank. On purpose, I mean." He waited for her to react in horror. Maybe she would hit him… Yes, or scream at the very least. As he closed his eyes, however, he heard no such frantic noise. Malaria just stared at him blankly. "Why would you do something like that?" she asked softly, "For what purpose?"

Thrax was surprised. He had never thought of WHY he would infect Frank, it was just an instinct to him, what he was taught. What his father before him trained him to do. It was in his genetic code. "I…" he said coldly, " I don't know. I was just born to. I'm a dangerous, nasty virus." When he opened his eyes, he discovered they were nose to nose with each other. He saw how beautiful her eyes were, the shade of violet in them glistening with her life force. His claw glowed slightly, as he realized he had become breathless. His lips tingled and longed to crash against hers, yet he was restrained by shock. "No one is born to kill," she cooed, "And a killer wouldn't just go out in the middle of the night and save a girl like me." He could smell her beautiful intoxication as it hypnotized him.

She slowly pulled away, taking her hug to the sink and refilling it with coffee. "I know you're a good guy," Malaria said, "No matter under what species you are. I refuse to believe you didn't want to be good at one point." Thrax looked up. "I did want to be good, actually," he admitted, "That's why I signed up for this job. When I almost… You know… I got pushed into a glass of alcohol. When I got out, I realized I couldn't infect things any more." Malaria turned around to watch him speak. Thrax continued, "When things like that happen to you, some people want revenge. I decided instead that maybe if I did some good, I could erase what I did. And somehow I convinced the city to trust me, though I don't know why they did,"

Malaria smiled, "Maybe they believe in redemption."

Thrax chuckled, "Yeah… Maybe, baby."

After putting dishes and such away in the sink, Thrax drove Malaria to the Police Department to file a report. It was all just basic procedure: her statement, fingerprints, and appointment with a sketch artist. When filling out the last paper, Thrax snatched it right out of Malaria's hands and took out his own red pen. "Place of residence…" he said smoothly, "Antibody Apartment Complex, Floor 5, Room 555..." He looked down at her and smirked. "Got it, baby?" he chuckled. She nodded, making him beam warmly at her. "Good." he said, "And now those jerks will pay for what they did to you."

_*****OK, more to come soon, this is just what I've got so far! But I'll write some later this week, since I've been sick for the past 2 days. Damn finals stressing… Enjoy! (I hope…)*****_


	4. Chapter 4: Closer

**(Ok, I know. The last chapter? SUCKED. But I'm making up for that right now, kk?)**

Malaria was not one who enjoyed to be pitied. In fact, she loathed it. Since she young, she had been living on her own. Yes, she had her father, who provided her with shelter and clothes, but Malaria herself had worked various jobs along the body for extra cash. She had always walked alone, and yet she continued to wonder why she had let her guard down around Thrax. She hardly even knew him!

But what other choice did she have?

She couldn't help but feel secure when she held his arm and strolled out of the FPD Station. She was smiling and blushing slightly, but to her relief not enough for Thrax to take notice. Suddenly, a beeping sound interrupted her thoughts. Malaria let go of Thrax as he pulled out a cellular walkie-talkie from underneath his trench coat. "Yo, Jones, talk to me baby!" he said. The so called 'Jones' replied in an angry tone, "Don't call me 'baby'! What am I, your girlfriend?" Malaria laughed, but her voice did not fall on deaf ears. "Hey, who's with you?" he asked over the speaker. Thrax chuckled, "That's for me to know, and you to find out later. Now get to the point, will you?"

_TINGTINGTING… CRASH-BOOM!_

The roar of sound caused Malaria to jump a little, her red clotty hair bouncing along with her delicately long eyelashes. At the sound of her gasp, Thrax turned around to witness the main precinct tower coming down on top of them. Without thinking, Thrax scooped Malaria into his arms and bounded out of the way. As it hit the ground with a loud slam, she breathed, still a little shocked. Jones's voice came over the walkie-talkie again. "You okay, Thrax?!" he asked, slightly frantic. Thrax held the talkie to his mouth, still holding onto Malaria with one hand and supporting her on his knee. "Yeah, although to be Frank, I don't think the FPD building is…"

Malaria imagined Jones rolling his eyes as he spoke again, "Haha, real funny. Anyway, you've got to get downtown. Something's going down, and it ain't good." _CLICK_. The talkie turned off, and Thrax helped Malaria to her feet. She felt slightly dizzy, but otherwise fine. She looked up at him, eyes wide with curiosity and shock. "What's going on?" she asked. Thrax narrowed his eyes and looked up. "I'm not sure, baby." he said darkly, taking her hand as they began to pace across the parking lot, "But I can tell ya now that I'm gonna find out."

Thrax began to drive, and granted, Malaria was feeling not so safe at the moment. He was speeding faster than any other cells on the highway, with his siren blaring for everyone to hear. She barely noticed as he took an exit and pulled up to the Antibody Apartment Complex. He pulled over, exiting the car and opening her door for her.

"I don't get it… You're leaving without me?" she asked, getting out of the car.

"'Fraid I've got to, baby. Wherever trouble is, I don't want you there." he replied.

"Too bad. I'm coming with you."

"Sorry, I can't let you do that."

"But I can help you!"

"Prove it then, baby."

All her life, Malaria had learned to avoid being rash. However, this was an exception. She snaked her arms around his neck and rested her hands behind his head. She held her breath for a moment, then let it out in a sigh, looking down at her feet. "You know," she cooed, "If you need someone to persuade or read body language, I'm the girl for the job." Thrax's pulse quickened as her eyes darted up to meet his, sparkling like two brilliant rubies. His firm face fell into a mystified frown, his eyes became slightly wider. His heart beat faster as she leaned into him, her lips just inches away from his. "And that's a lot better than leaving a poor girl like me to fend for myself, isn't it? I mean, you wouldn't want me to get into any trouble now, would you?"

Thrax gulped. She was an excellent temptress.

He sighed, growling a little bit in order to suppress the sexual intentions bubbling inside his chest. "Get in." he commanded, and Malaria eagerly obeyed.

**(KK! FINALLY I'M GETTING BACK TO THIS! HUZZAH! ^O^ LONG LIVE THE THRAXXYNESS!)**


End file.
